1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to mechanical fruit pickers, specifically to a device that is used for mechanical picking of fruit from fruit trees.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The citrus industry as an example has abandoned all efforts to pick fruit mechanically. Lots of money and time was spent on various methods of picking fruit.
Some methods previously considered usually also require the aide of chemical abscission. These chemicals are not available, require additional cost of application and the action of the chemical is greatly influenced by uncontrollable climatic factors.
Usually the shaking of a tree result in some mutilation of the trunk, limbs or roots. Some "hard to pick" fruit like oranges are not easy to remove by vigorously shaking the tree.
High tech computer controlled robotics are cost prohibitive, slow and not considered a solution by the industry.
The method of hooking the stem end of a fruit has been employed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,221 to Pictiaw Chen, May 4, 1973, had limitations relating to rigid probes, material strength and shape of the picking finger. The same also failed to present a constant torque swing away action during an encounter with a tree limb. The increasing torque of a torsion spring as an example may cause the hook scrape and damage the bark or break the tree limb.
The rotating probes as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,356 to R. J. and D. W. Robbins, Mar. 9, 1977 was further complicated by a meshing gear drive to rotate probes that can result in extreme tree mutilation and again no provision was made to bypass limbs.